Conditions & Chiro Treatments

Chiropractors have been known to successfully treat issues such as trouble latching when breastfeeding, acid reflux, colic, spinal joint restrictions and muscle spasm.

Whether your baby is born via caesarian or natural birth, the birthing process can be difficult and complex. Many different forces are placed on the infant and they are often born with spinal joint restrictions which may lead to torticollis, plagiocephaly and other issues. Parents are encouraged to bring their infants for Chiropractic care and get adjusted soon after birth or a few weeks later, to check for spinal mobility and alignment to eliminate any neurological interference.

Colic and acid reflux often occurs in an immature or underactive gastrointestinal system leading to pain and discomfort. This can be treated successfully through Chiropractic care, by restoring normal nervous system function.

Chiropractic adjustments and techniques used on infants are safe and are much gentler than those used on adults. They are performed to restore normal nervous system functioning and allow the body to balance itself. When the entire nervous system is working efficiently, your baby is able to eat, sleep and grow without colic, constipation and sleep issues during their peak development days.

As your child grows older and starts to reach their developmental milestones, their spines grow, change and adapt to the new stresses and strains placed on them as they start to lift their heads, sit up, crawl and walk. During these times they are also more likely to have minor falls and accidents.

Problems may arise if there are spinal joint restrictions, caused by childbirth or any falls or accidents; this can easily impact a child’s physical development. These are integral times to bring your child for a general check up and adjustment by your Chiropractor.

A large percentage of pregnant women can experience neck pain, lower back pain and pelvic pain, or all of the above, which may become worse as the pregnancy progresses. This is mainly due to hormonal and postural changes to the body during pregnancy. Normal biomechanical changes during this time include: weight gain, a forward shift in your centre of gravity, increased curvature in the lower back, postural changes, altered gait and laxity of the lumbopelvic ligaments due to the hormone Relaxin being released.

All of these changes can cause increased stress on the spine, increased muscle tightness and spasms, as well as instability of the pelvic joints due to ligament laxity. Chiro treatments are safe, and an effective way to manage these and other musculoskeletal symptoms during pregnancy, as well as maintain a healthy pelvic balance for easier labour and delivery.

Poor posture is one of the most common causes of neck pain, back pain and headaches. Our spines work incredibly well when we are active and on the move. However, the problem starts when we stop moving and have to support our bodies in one position for a long period of time. This occurs mostly in individuals who sit for long periods of their day at a desk working at a computer or driving their cars, and in children and teenagers who also sit for hours in front of their computer, tablet or cell phone.

When we sit with poor posture this can put increased stress on the spinal muscles and tissues and increased pressure on your discs, leading to muscle fatigue and eventually pain. Chiro treatments can provide substantial relief by correcting your alignment as well as educating you on correct posture, desk set up and movements to strengthen your core.

Back and neck pain are two of the most common issues affecting people today. Our modern lifestyle has in fact had a detrimental effect on our spinal health, such as working at a computer, long hours driving and not exercising and moving our bodies. At least 80 to 90% of people will experience lower back pain at least once in their lifetime. This can have a debilitating impact on your overall physical health. Everyday movements become difficult, like putting on your shoes, exercising or even picking up your kids, and can massively affect your overall quality of life. These are all simple things that we take for granted, which is why it is so important to look after your spine.

Only 5% of all headaches are a warning sign of a physical problem or underlying disease. The other 95% are primary headaches, meaning the headache is the primary concern. These are commonly caused from people spending hours behind a desk or in a poor posture, leading to increased joint irritation and muscle tension, which can potentially cause headaches such as tension, cervicogenic and migraine headaches. Chiropractors have many treatment modalities that are highly effective in treating headaches.

The pelvis is formed by the two hip bones in the front and the sacrum (bottom of the spine) at the back. The pelvis protects vital organs and helps to stabilize your spine and distributes forces from the spine through the pelvis into the legs. As the pelvis girdle plays such an important role, any injury or dysfunction in this area can have a major effect on your basic body functions. When pelvic pain is present, you may find it difficult to take part in everyday activities and the pain can worsen with everyday movements such as sitting down or walking. Common causes of pelvic pain include pregnancy, joint dysfunction in the pelvic girdle such as the sacroiliac joints or pubic symphysis, spinal fixations, weak core, pelvic fractures, bladder disorders, kidney infections or kidney stones, appendicitis, and pelvic inflammatory conditions. Chiropractors are trained to detect joint dysfunctions in the spine and pelvis and to diagnose the cause of your hip or pelvic pain. Pelvic dysfunction can have a knock on effect on the other joints further down the biomechanical chain if not dealt with, possibly causing hip, knee and even foot and ankle issues.

Sciatic pain or sciatica originates in your lower back, and can radiate into the buttocks, thigh, and leg. It is a nerve pain caused by irritation and/or compression of the sciatic nerve, and typically only affects one side of the body. The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the human body, other nerves branch off the sciatic nerve to your buttocks, hips and legs. So when part of this nerve gets irritated and/or compressed it causes problems all the way down the line.

The most common cause of sciatic pain is a herniated disc, which may cause chemical or direct compression of the spinal nerve roots leading to sciatic pain. Other causes can include a bone spur, pregnancy, diabetes, piriformis syndrome, and least commonly, a spinal infection or tumor.

Symptoms may vary from a mild ache to a sharp burning sensation or excruciating pain, tingling or numbness, and even muscle weakness. Symptoms can be constant or sporadic, as it depends on what part of the nerve and its branches are being affected.

Although sciatic pain can be severe, most cases may be resolved with non-operative or conservative Chiropractic treatment within a few weeks.

Sports injuries often occur when athletes push their bodies to the limit, or they push themselves by doing too much too soon. The constant stress on the body over time can cause muscle strains and repetitive injuries.

Acute traumatic injuries, such as muscle or ligament tears, and chronic or overuse injuries such as plantar fasciitis, iliotibial band syndrome and runner’s knee are some of the common injuries that can be treated by a Chiropractor.

The first goal is to reduce the pain, inflammation and restore the tissues as close to their pre-injury condition as possible. With chronic injuries we have to identify any causative factors through orthopaedic tests and motion analysis and try to eliminate these while treating the condition. Rehabilitation is also very important for acute and chronic injuries to ensure that strength, stability and balance is restored to the tissues and prevents the injury from recurring.

There are a variety of Chiro treatments for upper and lower limb injuries. Upper limb includes the shoulder, elbow and wrist, and lower limb includes the hip, knee, ankle and foot. These injuries can be caused by direct trauma to an area, overuse injuries from work or sport, arthritis or even pain referring from an issue such as a herniated disc in the neck or lower back. By examining the biomechanical chain as a whole we can determine the root cause of the problem and treat accordingly.

A safe, specific, controlled force applied to a joint in order to restore its motion and function, this in turn also reduces muscle spasm and pain. It is associated with a ‘pop’ or ‘click’ known as a cavitation. Manipulations or adjustments are what Chiropractors are known for, they are highly specialized, and we spend years perfecting these techniques.

Mobilisation is a controlled passive repetitive motion applied to a joint in order to restore joint motion, which is not associated with a cavitation or ‘pop’. This is a technique which may be used in situations where a manipulation or adjustment is not indicated.

Soft tissue therapy is a collection of different techniques directed at the soft tissues of the body, with the aim of restoring motion and function including:

• Massage.
• Cross-friction massage: this is a deep massage applied at right angles to the tissues in order to maintain the mobility within the soft tissue structures of ligaments, tendons and muscles, and prevents scar tissue formation.
• Trigger point therapy: trigger points are hyperirritable points in the muscle tissue which produce pain locally and also refer pain to other areas of the body. Trigger point therapy is a technique whereby we place sustained pressure into trigger points in order to release them.
• Myofascial release: involves applying sustained pressure into myofascial connective tissue restrictions to reduce pain and restore movement.

Dry needling is often confused with acupuncture. The only similarities are the needles used.

Acupuncture is a form of Chinese medicine, based on placing the needles into specific acupuncture points to restore energy meridians in the body in order to heal.

Dry needling is the insertion of the needles into myofascial trigger points, a focus of irritability within a taut band of skeletal muscle or fascia, to release it; this is the main source of pain in myofascial pain syndromes.

Kinesiotape is a sports tape used to enhance the body’s own healing process, by activating the neurological and circulatory systems. It is applied in a specific way over muscles and tissues in order to reduce pain, inflammation, and swelling, and support muscles which are overused but still allow movement of the body. It is used in all ages from paediatrics to geriatrics, as well as from amateur to professional athletes. It is also used for a range of issues such as sports injuries, back and neck pain and even hematomas or bruising.

Analysis of a patient’s posture and movement patterns is important as certain issues may cause joint and soft tissue pain. It helps us to better understand why a certain injury may be recurring and how to prevent this from happening again with rehabilitation, as well as using the correct treatment protocol.

Rehabilitation allows a patient to be a part of their own recovery. It consists of stretching and strengthening exercises tailored to the patient for their specific injury. It is especially important in correcting movement patterns, posture, improving strength, stability, flexibility and balance. And is an integral part of an athlete’s return to sport.

Educating and advising a patient is an important component of their treatment. Patients are more motivated to take an active role and participate in their recovery when they have a better understanding of their condition and how to manage it correctly.